Enter Seattle: AMD Delivers First 64-Bit ARM Server Chips

The new AMD Opteron A1100-Series developer kit for server makers is now available.

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Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday announced the availability of its first 64-bit ARM-based server processor as part of the company's new AMD Opteron A1100-Series developer kit for server makers.

The arrival of AMD's ARM Cortex-A57-based server chips code named Seattle, unveiled back in January, gives the chip maker the initial leg up on companies like Applied Micro (APM), which are also developing ARMv8 64-bit "server-on-a-chip" products but have yet to ship them.

ARM's first 64-bit instruction set architecture has already made it into a host of smartphones, beginning with Apple's A7-powered iPhone 5s released last September. But ARM already dominates the application processors in mobile devices like smartphones. AMD and others believe 64-bit ARM-based chips will also prove useful in data center operations, where they'd be taking on the dominant x86 architecture used in server processors made by Intel and yes, AMD itself.

"The journey toward a more efficient infrastructure for large-scale datacenters is taking a major step forward today with broader availability of our AMD Opteron A1100-Series development kit," Suresh Gopalakrishnan, general manager and vice president of AMD's Server business unit, said in a statement. "After successfully sampling to major ecosystem partners such as firmware, OS, and tools providers, we are taking the next step in what will be a collaborative effort across the industry to reimagine the datacenter based on the open business model of ARM innovation."

AMD struck up its relationship with ARM several years ago. It's taken this long to roll out the first 64-bit ARM-based Opteron products, but AMD has made it clear it's going all-in on ARM, outlining a two-pronged approach several months ago that will see the company continue to invest in x86, but also in ARM for future products as part of its new "Project Skybridge" initiative.

That all begins with Seattle, which AMD is touting for storage, Web applications, and Web hosting work, said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst for Moor Insights & Strategy.

"This is a good step forward for AMD as it shows continued progress for AMD's ARM-based server plans," Moorhead said. "AMD has decades of experience in server processors and platforms which brings a lot of ecosystem and customer credibility. It's not going to be a walk in the park, as APM is bringing a custom processor core to the table which I expect to offer higher integer performance albeit at higher power levels."

Taking on Intel, x86
Aside from competition AMD's Seattle might face from other 64-bit ARM server chip makers like APM, analyst Jack Gold also noted that the dominant x86 architecture, with all the resources Intel has behind it, likely won't just cede space in the data center to an upstart instruction set without a fight.

"AMD is pursuing its ambidextrous policy by having feet in both camps with x86 and ARM. As ARM-based server systems pick up steam, particularly for low-power, cloud-based server farms, this could help AMD significantly increase its sales volumes," said Gold, principal analyst for J. Gold Associates.

"AMD is ahead of the pack when it comes to ARM 64-bit server chips and this helps them maintain that lead. But all of that said, it's way too early to count out the x86 camp, as there are many low-power alternatives coming out there too."

In fact, it's taken such a long time for 64-bit ARM server platforms to emerge that one of AMD's erstwhile rivals in the space, Calxeda, was forced to close up shop last December before it was able to ship product.

ARM, meanwhile, has been bullish about the pace of adoption it expects for its 64-bit instruction set in the data center. In May, ARM CEO Simon Segars told PCMag that in scale-out environments in particular, the "opportunity to experiment and try things and roll things out is actually very rapid."

On Wednesday, the U.K.-based chip design firm said it was "delighted that AMD is delivering a platform to help the software development community to accelerate their deployments on ARM. AMD's announcement, combined with the RedHat Early Access Program announced today, further emphasizes the choice and innovation that the ARM partnership is bringing to the server ecosystem."

Gold also praised AMD's decision to "play in both camps" with x86 and ARM as "a winning strategy for them to help with their existing customer base, and to also accelerate their place in the transitioning market for ARM servers."

So here's what AMD customers are getting when they order a new AMD Opteron A1100 Series processor, also known as Seattle, per the chip maker:

4 and 8 ARM Cortex-A57 cores

Up to 4 MB of shared L2 and 8 MB of shared L3 cache

Configurable dual DDR3 or DDR4 memory channels with ECC at up to 1866 MT/second

Up to 4 SODIMM, UDIMM or RDIMMs

8 lanes of PCI-Express Gen 3 I/O

Support for 8 Serial ATA 3 ports

Support for 2 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports

ARM TrustZone technology for enhanced security

Crypto and data compression co-processors

And here are the specs for the full AMD Opteron A1100 development kit, priced at $2,999 and packaged in a microATX form factor:

An AMD Opteron A1100-Series processor with 4 cores

2 Registered DIMMs with 16 GB of DDR3 DRAM

PCI Express connectors configurable as a single x8 or dual x4 ports

8 Serial-ATA connectors

Compatibility with standard power supplies

Standard UEFI boot environment

Linux environment based on Fedora technology from the Red Hat-sponsored Fedora community

Damon Poeter got his start in journalism working for the English-language daily newspaper The Nation in Bangkok, Thailand. He covered everything from local news to sports and entertainment before settling on technology in the mid-2000s. Prior to joining PCMag, Damon worked at CRN and the Gilroy Dispatch. He has also written for the San Francisco Chronicle and Japan Times, among other newspapers and periodicals.
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